In the Spotlight with… Carole Fitzgerald of Lazy Sunday
Carole Fitzgerald has always been passionate about relaxed socialising around food.
She developed her own style of wow-factor seasonal cooking when she launched the Old Boathouse restaurant in South Queensferry.
Since then, she’s run her own water’s edge hotel on Loch Fyne specialising in shellfish; simultaneously launched The Seafood Trail; and written a book – ‘From Crabshack to Oyster Bar’– about the people, the places and the food that the Seafood Trail project championed.
Carol now runs the events catering business, Lazy Sunday, which specialises in creating relaxed, and generous sharing style feasts for weddings, events and parties across Scotland. We put her under the spotlight to find out what whet’s her appetite.
1. What would you serve on your ideal Easter lunch menu? Salt dough baked shoulder of lamb, sumac spiced cauliflower with pine nuts, Jerusalem artichoke puree.
2. Which five famous faces would you want to serve the lunch to? Ukranian Chef Olia Hercules, George Clooney, Mhairi Black, author, Peter May, and Guy Garvie.
3. What Scottish seasonal food excites you when spring comes around and why? It’s all the C’s – crab, cod, celeriac, cauliflower – and also Jerusalem artichokes, which I love. It feels like the flavours are fresher, sharper and more distinctive and I love that a squeeze of lemon with all of this fabulous local produce can literally spring clean your palate.
4. What five dishes should everyone be able to cook from scratch? Fishcakes, frittata, chicken tagine, moules marinière and scrambled eggs.
5. Where do you envision Scotland’s food and drink industry going in the next five years? I hope that we’ll see increasing collaborative marketing between food producers and providers in Scotland, enabling improved visibility of Scotland’s food and drink industry.
I also see the continued growth of the small, specialised producers selling direct to consumers and food outlets. I think Scotland will also have an army of food ambassadors, from across the food spectrum. And I would love to see children regardless of age or background, making healthier food choices.
www.lazy-sunday.com

Ingredient of the Month…Lamb
Balgove Larder, farm shop, butchery and cafe near St Andrews, supplies top quality, local, seasonal produce as well as meat direct from the farm through its traditional butchery and aims to highlight the very best food and drink that Scotland and Fife in particular, has to offer.
So if you’re entertaining this Easter why not try this delicious recipe, straight from the Balgove kitchen for something a little different.

Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Pea and Mint Risotto for Two
Ingredients…
Olive oil
1 rack lamb, frenched (ask your butcher to do this for you)
50g breadcrumbs
10g fresh mixed herbs
2 tsp Dijon mustard
salt & pepper
1 small onion, diced
200g Arborio rice
70ml dry white wine
650ml chicken stock, kept hot in a small sauce pan on the hob
70g fresh or frozen peas
10g fresh mint, finely chopped
60g Parmesan, finely grated
To prepare the lamb…
1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Combine breadcrumbs & herbs together with a little salt & pepper to taste and blitz to a very fine, sandy consistency. Set aside.
3. Season rack with salt & pepper. Heat olive oil in sauté pan over high heat. Sear rack of lamb on all sides and remove from heat. Leave to cool slightly. Spread Dijon over the top side of the rack. Coat the mustard with a generous layer of the breadcrumb mix.
Pause here to start your risotto…
1. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Sauté onion until soft but not yet starting to brown. Season with a little salt & pepper. (*This is a good time to put your lamb in the oven!) Add the rice and stir until it begins to look translucent, about 1 minute. Deglaze with white wine and stir until almost completely absorbed. Add stock 1 ladle at a time and keep stirring as the rice absorbs the liquid. Risotto should be kept at a steady but low simmer. Keep adding stock and stirring until rice is al dente. At this point, stir in the peas, mint and most of the Parmesan (reserve a little for garnishing). Stir until rice is just past al dente but not mushy.
2. Roast rack for 20 minutes for medium rare, or 25 to 30 if you prefer the meat more done. Let rest for 10 minutes.
3. Slice the rack into 1 rib portions. (2 to 3 each for moderate appetites, or 4 each if you’re feeling ravenous.)
4. Plate up the risotto and top with your lamb. Garnish with the remaining parmesan and a healthy drizzle of your best extra virgin olive oil.
www.balgove.com.

Kitchen Cupboard Essentials…
For fun, playful and modern tableware for children, which is also practical, look no further than Buddy and Bear. Designed to spark imagination their bold yet subtle designs on their cups, trays and plates using themes such as telling the time, numbers and letters will also help engage with little one’s at the dinner table. And their bunny egg cups (£5) will make any hardboiled egg look and taste more enticing! www.buddyandbear.com
For a taste of decadence this Easter choose from a selection of beautifully crafted and ornate chocolate eggs from Iain Burnett The Highland Chocolatier. As one of Scotland’s most awarded chocolatiers, Iain Burnett The Highland Chocolatier sources chocolate from the small African country, São Tomé and Príncipe and uses local ingredients including cream from a single herd of Perthshire cattle, Blairgowrie raspberries and honey and Scottish butter. www.highlandchocolatier.com/easter-eggs-c-26
For those of you who haven’t had enough chocolate then get ready to stimulate your senses with Border Biscuits latest taste sensation, Chocolate Orange Thins, the award winning Border Biscuits Big Baking Bonanza recipe.
The winning recipe was created by 21-year-old Rory Sutherland from Edinburgh and has been carefully recreated by the skilled team at Border Biscuits, mixing interesting flavour combinations with that unmistakable Border Biscuit taste. Chocolate Orange Thins will be an exclusive flavour in Asda stores across the UK throughout 2016. www.borderbiscuits.co.uk